Things are far from satisfactory, we still can’t put together a first half performance. But through the crazy schedule, injuries to key players, lack of cover for others, Conte making some questionable choices, and some important players simply being bang out of form, we’re 3 points off the top of the league. Yes I know the games played is a bit weird for everyone right now but this season is a weird one full stop. Can’t help but feel that it’s all about staying in touch with the top 4 and getting out of the CL group and then once the post-WC dust settles we can actually see how everything shakes out. All the ‘big 6’ are struggling like we are with the fixture congestion and everyone is going to have some sort of post-WC fatigue or injury hangover. It’s going to be a season for attritional football, I just hope our players are up for the fight. That was a big second half for us ahead of a big week.
Wait, have they been spelling players’ names out all season with the random place names? Have I only just noticed this
One issue at the moment is how we go into games with the plan of getting at the opponents in the first 15ish minutes then sitting back until half time, regardless of what may (and inevitably does...) happens between minutes 16-45, which happened today, on Wednesday, on last Sunday... That absolutely is an issue as we aren't trying to control games in that period which, let's be blunt, is 1/3 of the match where we're risking giving 'Nam flashbacks to the period between late 2019-early 2021 Realistically we need to be controlling games in midfield which we have the personnel to do, after all we were doing so in last season's run-in, because this is the flaw in Conte’s long game planning for the season
I really think that a lot of the comments are way too critical. Half of the first half Spurs were poor but they were knocking on the door for the last 20 minutes and then dominated the second half. What would you expect? Bournemouth are in the PL is it not arrogant to expect total domination from the off? There is also the factor of how many games teams are playing. It's not a coincidence that Chelsea got trashed today it's just the shear volume of games being played. This is not a video game these are real people who are being asked to play a major game every 3 days. You can critcise Conte all you like about not rotating but in fact, apart from Kane & Son players are being rotated. Personally I think Conte knows much more about football than me, so I bow to his greater knowledge.
I was working today so didn't see any of the game so I thank you all for the commentary which was ahead of my stream of final score! The one thing that we certainly deserve credit for this week is playing to the finish last minute winner chalked off on Wed, stoppage time winner today plenty of Spurs sides of the past would have folded under similar circumstances
Missed it, fell asleep after a 70 hour week (despite a lie in until 11), getting too old for this site work stuff. anyway, back too the football, walk over was it? I see Kane and Son not on the score sheet, not needed were they?
Highlights: Watch Emerson on the first goal. Strolling back, then sprints when it's clear he's not getting there. Sessegnon doesn't do enough to get back on the second, either. Out of position because he's trying to get forward and Son gives it away, IIRC.
Who else was watching for VAR after each goal , that ****ing thing is ruining my enjoyment of football
It's unusual for Ally Gold to speak out so openly against the manager's decisions and I'm glad he has. He's as close to a club mouthpiece as is possible without actually being an employee of the club, so I'd hope people who matter are taking notice.
He was doing it quite a bit towards the end of the ubermensch's run My main worry is, much like r/coys did with Doherty, we put Spence on a pedestal and when he turns out to be a serviceable WB the fans turn on him
I bow to Contes greater knowledge. But the bottom line is that I don't want to watch Spurs playing like that. The fact that we eeked a win from yet another poor performance is some consolation, but not sustainable. And it is transparent that Emerson and Sanchez are not good enough, Sessegnon cannot be a 'good prospect' in his 3rd season and no coach can be happy that a team fails to turn up for virtually every game this season. However, if we don't manage a draw at least on Tuesday and drop into the EL then the mood will get very toxic.
I don't pretend to speak for most spurs fans but my experience of going to Spurs sees fans appreciate players that give it their all and at least attempt to go past players and pass the ball 5 yards accurately. Sessegnon and Sanchez fails on these regularly as does Royal. The fans at games never turned on Townsend, Soldado, janssen, etc cos they all did those things particularly the "give it their all" part. Sessegnon and Royal often let their heads drop and hide from the ball. Sissoko did that at the beginning of his time with us but from the first season at Wembley stopped and the fans at games responded really well to him. Apart from here I don't follow fans on SM so can not comment on them. But while I do not agree with all the criticism of our players or Conte some is well deserved. I'm pleased that Sessegnon scored today but have no hope that that'll turn his spurs career around. He, like Royal and Sanchez is a very poor player and shouldn't be first choice.
But r/coys are not representative of here or match day fans. Unfortunately, the Internet (where not respectfully self policed) is a cesspit.
Fans and games did turn on Janssen to a point, not booing him off but you could feel the atmosphere in the stadium change when he was breaking into the area - not in the way that it does when Kane, Son or (at the time) Dele breaking into the area as there's that build of anticipation, more that the anticipation was draining before the ball was even played to him The weird thing about the Twitter/Reddit crowd is when they get it wrong, most obviously when they were lionising Ndombele early last season because he can do some fancy flicks while most people who go to games from about Row D wouldn't even need to turn their heads to see the entire length of one of his runs when we didn;t have the ball (and quite often when we did)
I remember being really excited at Sanchez’s signing and I thought he done well in his first (and I think second?) season, had mistakes in him but initially waived that off due to his age and needing to adapt to a new country. As time went by though he’s gotten worse and worse. I’m not sure if I keep suffering from Mandela effects because like how I thought Sessegnon was quick, I could’ve sworn Sanchez was never so inept with the ball in his earlier seasons, his positioning was suspect but has he always looked like he’s kicking a ball after 7 pints? As for the two WBs, they’re as bad as Gilberto for me, especially his fellow Brazilian and this isn’t an exaggeration or saying something for effect. What’s scary, is between the pair they set us back over £50m, at least with Gilberto he cost us about £1.5m. Barca fans mocked us for paying so much for Emerson, initially thought that was out of spite, kind of how Juve fans tried acting like selling Bentancur and Kulu was no big deal as we were “buying their rejects”, but my word they were well within their right to rip the piss out of us. Pound for pound one of the worst players I’ve had the misfortune of watching, and I’ve spent five years watching Harry Winks. Conte’s persistence with both concerns me, especially considering his general reputation with WBs and how he improves them, not the case with these two.
Would be interesting to statistically dimension the inhabitants of Internet forum sites by the number of home/away games they attend each season. I suspect that gobsh*tery would be shown to be inversely proportional to the latter (may even confirm to nature and be an "inverse square law" ) .
